Zero Encounters

Encounter

        At the front of Namdaemun Market, members of the Special Investigation Unit calmly weaved through the crowd and situated themselves at their respective positions. A case they had spent the last three months meticulously planning and waiting to be approved was finally in motion. The sun began to set which meant the night attractions of delicious food will only invite more people to the market. Two men overlooked a roof top above a dessert stall with their eyes scanning the market entrance for suspicious activity. They were careful to not show themselves and kept watch over the area. They were beginning to second guess themselves with each passing second, but held onto hope that their plans were not in vain.

"Captain. " The middle aged man whispered at the sound of footsteps stomping up the stairs behind them. They both turned with their hand guns pointing to the door. The blue dinged metal door swung open and hit the wall. With their fingertips at the trigger, they were greeted by a panicked young man. His tall and toned physique folded in front of them with his hands up by his head.

"P-Park Jisung reporting for duty." He said shakily while they lowered his weapons. They exchanged confused looks before returning their guns to their holster. Jisung straightened himself and blurted out an apology. He smoothed out the wrinkles in his blazer and saluted his seniors. He breathed heavily, trying to hide the fact that he sprinted all the way here from the subway station. He nervously approached them with a smile as the older man waved him over.

"New guy, you're late." He scolded, "And, you almost got shot." Jisung tried not stare, but the extended mechanical hand, fascinated him.

"S-Sorry, Captain Lee." He apologized and shook the smooth metal. The man diverted his attention to the younger man standing by the ledge.

"He's the Captain." He whispered, pointing discreetly. "I'm Senior Inspector Choi Beomgyu." He said with a smile. He looked to be in his early fifties and Jisung noted the kindness in his eyes. Inspector Choi wished him good luck under his breath as he knew the Captain wasn't an easy man to please. Jisung's eyes widened in embarrassment and tried to stay calm, but his nerves eventually got the best of him. Not only was his first impression subpar, he had mistaken someone else for his Captain aloud. His hesitation only made Inspector Choi want to help him more so he gave him a firm push on his back while urging him to speak up like a parent to a shy child.

"I apologize for being late. I wasn't sure where to meet until I got the text message from a Detective Kim." He hung his head and waited to be reprimanded, but he was met with silence. He looked up at the broad shoulders that faced him and slowly walked to the side of the man. He was shocked to see how young the Captain looked and began to beat himself up for making the worst impression of his supposed blooming career.

The more he stared at his Captain, he began to feel a bit of envy brewing inside of him. The Captain had short, dark brown hair, a handsome face and at a quick glance he was able to tell he had defined muscles underneath his black blazer outfit. More notably was his height. Jisung had always been complimented for his height in the Academy, but the Captain humbled him. He cleared his throat and introduced himself again, but Captain Lee only had eyes on one individual in the crowd.

"Zero, head out." Captain Lee said calmly while pressing into his earpiece. Inspector Choi and Jisung followed his eyes to see a shadow leap from the other roof top.

"What was that?" Jisung gasped and watched the figure land on a tent, six feet below. "That guy is crazy!" His mouth dropped with excitement in his eyes as he witnessed the chase unfolding beneath them. "Where did the department hire a guy like him?"

"Let's follow Zero." Captain Lee finally turned to face Jisung. "Keep up." He patted his shoulder and notified the rest of the team to provide cover.

"Come on, kid." Inspector Choi passed him an ear piece. "You'll get use to the Captain soon. Just listen and stay out of trouble. Don't ask too many questions, especially about Zero. He's a bit sensitive when strangers talk about our most valuable member."